It’s summer, which means hurricane season has returned. This year’s storms are already predicted to be more frequent and intense than last year – which is saying something, since the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season was the fourth most active since 1950 with 20 named storms. 2024 has a predicted 85 percent chance to be an above-normal season, with La Niña and record warm ocean temperatures driving a predicted 17 to 25 named storms.
Hurricane Beryl showcased this risk, being the earliest-forming Category 5 hurricane on record. The rapid intensifying of the storm, and so early in the summer, has many business leaders focusing on preparedness and resilience over “storm chasing,” as hurricane paths and strengths become increasingly difficult to forecast.
As hurricanes become more frequent and intense, risk and resilience professionals face growing challenges in protecting their people and operations. A strong approach to hurricane risk management, including investing in critical event management (CEM) technology, helps organizations build resilience.
Hurricanes and Dynamic Risk
The damage from hurricanes doesn’t just come from powerful winds and pounding water. They’re a dynamic risk: An event in which the ultimate harm differs from initial expectations. Dynamic risks can take unprepared organizations by surprise, whether it’s from an unexpected change in the initial event or unanticipated, cascading impacts.
With their unpredictable nature, every hurricane has the potential to become a dynamic risk. Its path may shift, causing it to land somewhere other than predicted. Other weather patterns may interfere and intensify the storm. Multiple hurricanes may batter the same location repeatedly, causing compounding, long-lasting damage.
Risk, security and business continuity leaders must be ready not just for the storm itself, but also for the cascading events in its wake. Power outages and flooding are direct, immediate impacts of a hurricane. However, the lingering effects of a storm can lead to unforeseen but connected issues like mold and disease contagions, infrastructural damage and supply chain disruptions.
To maintain business continuity and mitigate damage, leaders must be prepared for storms and the aftereffects. That’s easier said than done, since weather events – especially hurricanes – are defined by their volatility. The best defense is a proactive offense. Risk and resilience professionals must consider the dynamic risks of storms and prepare for multiple potential scenarios.
Dynamic Risk in Action: Hurricane Ian
Fifteen-foot storm surges. Winds up to 155 knots. Two million businesses and homes without power. These were all direct impacts of Hurricane Ian, which struck Cuba, Florida and the U.S. East Coast in late September 2022.
However, these risks – not unexpected for a category 5 storm – were not what ultimately made Hurricane Ian one of the deadliest hurricanes in the past 20 years. It was the storm’s dynamic nature, combined with unpredictable, long-term fallout, that led to catastrophic results.
Ian unexpectedly changed course and intensity as it hit vulnerable communities, causing massive water and wind damage to properties and leaving destruction in its path. But even once the initial impact of the storm had passed, the cascading impacts continued.
- Social disruption: Prolonged power outages led to protests in Cuba, while flooding in Florida prevented police from responding to looters.
- Agricultural loss: The damage caused by Hurricane Ian caused an estimated $1 billion in agricultural losses, particularly to citrus, vegetable and melon growers. This figure doesn’t include buildings or equipment, which were also affected.
- Infrastructure damage: Many communities took months to clean up and begin rebuilding after Ian, with prolonged disruptions to power, internet, roads, housing and essential services.
- Fatalities: Hurricane Ian caused at least 156 known fatalities in the U.S. Sixty-six were directly caused by the physical forces of the storm, like drowning or building collapse. The rest were indirectly caused by the storm, resulting from lack of medical care, accidents during power outages and even homicide.
While officials were prepared for the direct impacts of a massive hurricane like Ian, its unpredictable path and unexpected strength resulted in far-reaching, devastating consequences that lasted long after the storm died down.
Managing Dynamic Risk with Critical Event Management Technology
To effectively navigate the dynamic risks posed by hurricanes, organizations must take a proactive approach to risk management. The right unified platform for critical event management offers advanced technological solutions with these key capabilities.
- Data analytics for a 360-degree view of past, current and future hurricane risk. Access to historical risk data and geographical analysis of past hurricanes allows you to generate targeted reports for specific regions and timeframes. Identifying high-risk locations based on past events significantly improves planning and preparedness for future hurricane seasons.
- Real-time threat updates and alerts for better business continuity. AI-powered risk intelligence aggregates and filters complex data about incoming storms. Receive timely and accurate alerts about any hurricanes threatening your people and property so you can make fast, informed decisions and reduce response times.
- Multimodal, targeted communications to make sure everyone gets the message. Save lives and keep everyone in the loop with targeted, time-sensitive mass notifications. Pre-written templates, multi-language options and multiple communications channels, including phone, email and SMS, mean the right messages get to the right people at the right time.
- A responsive, easy-to-use interface for rapid response. Update and share information in real time as the situation changes. A mobile-first platform gives response teams the critical information they need to mobilize quickly, collaborate efficiently and adjust response strategies as the event unfolds.
Given the dynamic nature of hurricanes, organizations can further benefit from a true critical event management partner that helps them optimize their technology and hone their risk preparedness and response. The right partner shares their professional risk expertise and works with you to build resilience for today and tomorrow.
If hands-on practice works best for your team, try running tabletop exercises. This lets your team assess their readiness for different hurricane scenarios, identifying gaps and closing them before the next storm hits.
Uphold your duty of care to employees by giving them access to a 24-7-365 incident hotline for expert guidance, emergency medical support or travel assistance. Employees can get help no matter where they are or what storm they face.
Bolster your response team and take a proactive approach to this hurricane season with help from the experts. Professional risk analysts can conduct location analysis of your properties to identify the locations or facilities at the greatest risk of a hurricane, while incident management team support can help you streamline the activation process for a more effective response.
The mission can feel daunting and the path forward unclear. If you’d like to continue this discussion, provide feedback or are looking for assistance, OnSolve is here to help.
